Mount Si? Never heard of it. 

I got to the trailhead at 9 AM. Surprisingly, the parking lot was less than half full. This is remarkable for a sunny Thanksgiving weekend, where I found occasional bursts of solitude. 

Another pleasant surprise: most of the blowdowns from the recent storms have been cleared. The trail is impeccably maintained, with very few muddy areas. The snow begins above 3,000 feet, which is navigable without spikes – just be careful. 

I reached the false peak just past 11 AM. I lounged there for a good hour enjoying some coffee and the album Peripheral Vision by Turnover. I shared the summit with a dozen other hikers. 

I made it back to the parking lot after 3 PM, exhausted and with blisters. Now would be a good time to make a typical joke about how Mount Si is harder than Everest. 

My watch clocked in exactly eight miles round trip with 3,190 feet of elevation gain. Average moving pace of 24 minutes per mile.

Mount Si is the traditional & cultural land of the Snoqualmie peoples, and all Coast Salish tribes. As a visitor, I am grateful for their stewardship of the land since time immemorial. I’m humbled by the resilience of the First Peoples and the land itself. 

Mount Si was not looking too bad after the windstorm.

Parking lot: there are some potholes but not terrible. Made it fine with my Honda Fit. No "car-eating" potholes yet.

The trail did still have several blow-downs on it, but most were easy to get over or under. There is one larger blow-down near the half-way point that took a little more work to navigate.

Regarding snow/ice there was only snow and ice on the top section. I did put my microspikes on because it was fairly slick. At the lookout area at the top, there is snow on the rocks.

Overall the trail is in good shape. Some debris from the storm, but easy to navigate.

The trail had plenty of debris, with small branches scattered along as expected after the storm. Several downed trees blocked the path, but most were relatively easy to navigate around, except for one large tree that could be challenging for some hikers. Overall, the trail was in good condition.

I also noticed a few freshly cut trees, a clear sign that someone or a group had been working to clear the blowdowns. A big thank you to those who helped make the trail more accessible!

Starting around milepost 3.5, a thin layer of snow covered the trail and continued up to the boulder field. By the time I reached the boulder field, the wind had picked up, and light snow was falling. I chose not to go any further, quickly snapped a few pictures, and made my way back down.

Lots of blowdowns on the way up. One close to the upper talus loop intersection was a little bigger but no real problem. Minimal snow. Used poles but not spikes. Someone had sawed off several of the smaller blowdowns, so the trip down was nicer. Thanks for the quick action!

I arrived at the trailhead at 10:30am and the parking lot was nearly empty! The weather was overcast with a slight chance of rain, so I'm not surprised, especially with the winter storm warning from the day before. Thankfully there was no storm conditions today.

I took the Mount Si trail all the way up, which took me about 2 hours. It's muddy in places but not hard to cross. The summit has a light dusting of snow, though not enough to need any gear. I attempted to climb the Haystack but it was so cold, wet, and slick and I didn't want to risk it--I got about halfway. The clouds rolled in and out with the wind, so despite hiking inside a cloud most of the way, I did get some views. The top is frigid, especially when sweat cools, so bring lots of layers. The temperature difference between the bottom and top is stark. I wore a merino wool base layer, fleece, puffy, and raincoat with gloves and a beanie. The Canada Jays (or Camp Robbers) flocked me while I ate lunch but don't feed them! I know they're cute...but...don't ;)

On the way down, I decided to take the Talus Loop Trail. This is definitely the road less traveled, as many spots were overgrown and one spot had a small tree across it. The light really started to fade at 3pm which took me by surprise, so I started speed walking back to the trailhead so I didn't get caught out in the dark. 

Overall my moving time was around 4 hours, and was out for about 5 hours. 8.03 miles and 3,284ft elevation gain.